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The Fixx are a
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band from London, England, founded in 1979. The band's hits include "
One Thing Leads to Another
"One Thing Leads to Another" is a song by English new wave band the Fixx, from their album ''Reach the Beach''. It is the band's most successful single, reaching number four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in November 1983. It also peaked at n ...
", "
Saved by Zero
"Saved by Zero" is a song by English new wave band the Fixx. Released in 1983, it was the lead single off their second album, ''Reach the Beach'', and is one of the group's best known hits. Their signature song is the follow-up single "One Thing ...
", "
Are We Ourselves?
"Are We Ourselves?" is a 1984 song by English new wave band the Fixx, the first single from their third album, '' Phantoms''. Written by the band's five members, it was the Fixx's third of four top 20 US hits, the others being " Saved By Zero","On ...
", and "
Secret Separation
"Secret Separation" is a song by British new wave rock group the Fixx, from their fourth studio album ''Walkabout''. The single peaked at #19 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in July 1986 and peaked at No. 1 on the US Album Rock Tracks cha ...
", each of which charted in the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, as well as
mainstream rock
Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Format background
Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
chart hits "
Red Skies
"Red Skies" is a song by new wave/ rock band the Fixx. Released in 1982, it was the third single from the group's debut album, '' Shuttered Room''. It reached number 13 on ''Billboard''s Album Rock Tracks but peaked at number one on ''Billboard' ...
", "
Stand or Fall
"Stand or Fall" is a song by new wave/ rock band the Fixx. Released in 1982, it was the third of four single releases from the group's debut album, '' Shuttered Room''.
"Stand or Fall" became the group's first charting hit. In the United State ...
", "Driven Out" and "Deeper and Deeper", which was featured on the soundtrack of the 1984 film ''
Streets of Fire''.
Early years as Portraits and The Fix (1979–1981)
College friends
Cy Curnin
Cyril John Curnin (born 12 December 1957, Wimbledon, England) is a singer/songwriter and musician and is the lead vocalist for the new wave music group, the Fixx. As a songwriter, he has co-written over a dozen songs that have appeared on the ...
on vocals and Adam Woods on drums formed the group in London in 1979, initially calling themselves Portraits.
The pair placed an ad for additional members, and recruited keyboardist Rupert Greenall, guitarist Tony McGrail and bassist Russell Mckenzie, the last of whom was later replaced by Charlie Barrett.
Portraits issued two singles for
Ariola Records
Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...
: "Little Women" (1979), and "Hazards In The Home" (1980).
Later in 1980, McGrail left. At this point, the band added guitarist Jamie West-Oram (formerly of Phillip Rambow's band) and changed their name to The Fix.
This version of the band recorded for 101 Records, releasing their first single ("Lost Planes") in February 1981.
This track, along with several live tracks issued by 101 on various compilations, received some radio exposure on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. In these early days, West-Oram was billed simply as 'Jamie West'.
The Fix's raised profile eventually led to the group being offered a contract by
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
.
Worried about the potential drug-user implication of the band's name, MCA insisted on a name change before signing them to the label. A compromise was reached as the band altered the spelling of their name to The Fixx, and a deal was duly inked.
MCA and RCA years (1982–1991)
Barrett left The Fixx just after the recording of their first album, ''
Shuttered Room
''Shuttered Room'' is the debut studio album by British new wave band the Fixx, released on 14 May 1982.
It contains the group's debut single, "Stand or Fall", which hit the Top 10 of Billboard's Album Rock Tracks as well as #79 on the Hot 1 ...
'', in 1982.
This album featured the band's initial hits, "Stand or Fall" and "
Red Skies
"Red Skies" is a song by new wave/ rock band the Fixx. Released in 1982, it was the third single from the group's debut album, '' Shuttered Room''. It reached number 13 on ''Billboard''s Album Rock Tracks but peaked at number one on ''Billboard' ...
", both of which charted in the US and the UK. The band found particular success in Canada, where "Stand or Fall" reached No. 37. "
Stand or Fall
"Stand or Fall" is a song by new wave/ rock band the Fixx. Released in 1982, it was the third of four single releases from the group's debut album, '' Shuttered Room''.
"Stand or Fall" became the group's first charting hit. In the United State ...
" entered the charts in the US on 30 October 1982.
Barrett was replaced on bass by Alfie Agius for the ''Shuttered Room'' tour. Agius' stay in the band was short-lived, though, as he left during the 1983 recording of their next album ''
Reach the Beach
''Reach the Beach'' is the second studio album by English new wave band the Fixx, released on 13 May 1983 by MCA Records. It was the group's most successful studio album, reaching No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' albums chart and eventually selling ...
'', after having recorded four tracks. Agius is credited as co-writer on all the album's tracks, but the group for this album was officially credited as a quartet (Curnin, Greenall, West-Oram and Woods). Agius went on to briefly tour with the
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
/
heavy metal band
Fastway that same year.
''
Reach the Beach
''Reach the Beach'' is the second studio album by English new wave band the Fixx, released on 13 May 1983 by MCA Records. It was the group's most successful studio album, reaching No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' albums chart and eventually selling ...
'', produced by star producer,
Rupert Hine
Rupert Neville Hine (21 September 1947 – 4 June 2020) was an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He produced albums for artists including Rush, Kevin Ayers, Tina Turner, Howard Jones, Saga, the Fixx, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins ...
, became the group's most commercially successful album and was certified Platinum by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
on 5 January 1984.
Agius' bass work is featured on the album's first two singles "
Saved by Zero
"Saved by Zero" is a song by English new wave band the Fixx. Released in 1983, it was the lead single off their second album, ''Reach the Beach'', and is one of the group's best known hits. Their signature song is the follow-up single "One Thing ...
" and "
One Thing Leads to Another
"One Thing Leads to Another" is a song by English new wave band the Fixx, from their album ''Reach the Beach''. It is the band's most successful single, reaching number four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in November 1983. It also peaked at n ...
."
[Mann, Brent (2005). ''Blinded By the Lyrics''. New York, NY: Citadel Press Books] Both these singles cracked the US top 40, and "One Thing Leads To Another" became the band's biggest-ever hit (No. 1 Canada, No. 4 US). It was during these sessions that bassist
Dan K. Brown joined the band.
Brown played bass on the third top 40 single from the album, "The Sign Of Fire" and continued with the band on its subsequent tour. Brown became a full member of the band thereafter.
Curnin and West-Oram played on "
I Might Have Been Queen
"I Might Have Been Queen" is a song written for Tina Turner as the first track on her highly successful ''Private Dancer'' album, and later included as a re-mixed version, with an additional lyric added to the bridge, on her ''What's Love Got to D ...
" and "
Better Be Good To Me
"Better Be Good to Me" is a song written by Mike Chapman, Holly Knight, and Nicky Chinn, recorded by Tina Turner for her solo record ''Private Dancer'' (1984) and released as a single in September 1984. The song was originally recorded and release ...
" by
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...
on her 1984 album ''
Private Dancer
''Private Dancer'' is the fifth solo studio album by Tina Turner. It was released on May 29, 1984, through Capitol Records and was her first album released through the label.
After several challenging years of going solo after divorcing Ike T ...
''.
The 1984 album ''
Phantoms'' contained the hits "Are We Ourselves?" (#29 Can.), the first video in which a mobile phone ever appeared (a modified Motorola KR999), and "Sunshine In The Shade." Another single, "Deeper And Deeper," was initially released as the B-side of "Are We Ourselves?" (and also appeared in an edited version on the soundtrack for the film ''
Streets of Fire'').
This track received substantial airplay on U.S. and Canadian modern rock radio stations.
In 1985 the Fixx recorded the song "A Letter to Both Sides" for the soundtrack of the film ''
Fletch''. In 1986, they released their fourth album, ''
Walkabout
Walkabout is a rite of passage in Australian Aboriginal society, during which males undergo a journey during adolescence, typically ages 10 to 16, and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months to make the spiritual and traditiona ...
'', featuring "
Secret Separation
"Secret Separation" is a song by British new wave rock group the Fixx, from their fourth studio album ''Walkabout''. The single peaked at #19 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in July 1986 and peaked at No. 1 on the US Album Rock Tracks cha ...
" (No. 1 on ''Billboard'' Magazine's "Album Rock" chart, No. 49 in Canada) and "Built for the Future." The 1987 album ''
React REACT or React may refer to:
Science and technology
*REACT (telescope), a telescope at Fenton Hill Observatory, New Mexico, US
Computing
* React (JavaScript library) , a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, from Facebook
** React Nati ...
'', was a compilation of both live and new studio material, after which the band would depart MCA Records.
In 1989, the Fixx released their first album in nearly three years and only release on
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
, ''
Calm Animals
''Calm Animals'' is the fifth studio album by British new wave band the Fixx, released on February 7, 1989. The single "Driven Out" gave them a #1 song on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in early 1989, and reached #55 on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...
'', which contained another hit "Driven Out" (another No. 1 on Billboard's "Album Rock" chart).
The band returned to MCA for their next album, 1991's ''
Ink
Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicker ...
''. The album featured "How Much Is Enough?" (No. 27 Canada, No. 35 US).
Recent years (1992–present)
Dan K. Brown took a hiatus from the band in 1994. He was not officially replaced, and the band used session musicians on bass in his stead, with Chris Tait playing bass on most recordings and live shows from 1995 through the early 2000s. The four-man line-up (with contributions from Tait and other sessioneers) recorded 1998's ''Elemental'', as well as the 1999 album ''1011 Woodland'', on which they re-recorded a selection of previous hits and album tracks.
In 2002, the Fixx performed
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'.
Nancy Sinatra ...
's 1960s classic "
These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
"These Boots Are Made for Walkin' is a hit song written by Lee Hazlewood and recorded by American singer Nancy Sinatra. It charted on January 22, 1966, and reached No.1 in the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and in the UK Singles Chart.
Su ...
" for an album of cover versions of songs from the 1960s to 1990s called ''When Pigs Fly''.
In 2003, the band released their ninth studio album, ''Want That Life''.
Gary Tibbs
Gary Tibbs (born Gary Brian Tibbs, 25 January 1958) is a bass guitarist and actor. He is best known as a member of Adam and the Ants and Roxy Music. He appeared alongside Hazel O'Connor in the film '' Breaking Glass'' (1980) as bass guitarist ...
(formerly a member of
Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...
,
The Vibrators
The Vibrators are a British punk rock band that formed in 1976.
Early career
The Vibrators were founded by Ian ' Knox' Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice ...
and
Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. The group existed in two incarnations, both fronted by Adam Ant, over the period 1977 to 1982. The first, founded in May 1977 and known simply as The Ants until November of t ...
) played bass for this album.
Long-time bassist Dan K. Brown rejoined the band in 2008, replacing Tibbs. They celebrated 25 years of making music together, with the release of the double-CD ''
Twenty-fifth Anniversary Anthology'' compilation.
With the classic lineup back intact, the Fixx released their 10th studio album, ''Beautiful Friction'', on 17 July 2012. The Fixx regularly tour the world.
On 5 November 2021, The Fixx announced on their website a new single called "Wake Up". The song also featured on their most recent album, ''
Every Five Seconds'', released 3 June 2022. "Woman of Flesh and Blood" and "Closer" are two more singles from the album.
Members
;Current members
*
Cy Curnin
Cyril John Curnin (born 12 December 1957, Wimbledon, England) is a singer/songwriter and musician and is the lead vocalist for the new wave music group, the Fixx. As a songwriter, he has co-written over a dozen songs that have appeared on the ...
– lead vocals
(1979–present)
* Adam Woods – drums, percussion
(1979–present)
* Rupert Greenall – keyboards, backing vocals
(1979–present)
* Jamie West-Oram – guitars, backing vocals
(1980–present)
* Dan K. Brown – bass, backing vocals
(1983–1994, 2008–present)
;Former members
* Tony McGrail – guitars, backing vocals
(1979–1980)
* Russell Mckenzie – bass, backing vocals
(1979–1980)
* Charlie Barrett – bass, backing vocals
(1980–1983)
* Alfie Agius – bass, backing vocals
(1983)
*
Gary Tibbs
Gary Tibbs (born Gary Brian Tibbs, 25 January 1958) is a bass guitarist and actor. He is best known as a member of Adam and the Ants and Roxy Music. He appeared alongside Hazel O'Connor in the film '' Breaking Glass'' (1980) as bass guitarist ...
– bass, backing vocals
(2002–2008)
;Touring/session members
*
Dennis Bovell – bass
(1994–1998)
*Chris Tait – bass
(1998–2002)
Discography
* ''
Shuttered Room
''Shuttered Room'' is the debut studio album by British new wave band the Fixx, released on 14 May 1982.
It contains the group's debut single, "Stand or Fall", which hit the Top 10 of Billboard's Album Rock Tracks as well as #79 on the Hot 1 ...
'' (1982)
* ''
Reach the Beach
''Reach the Beach'' is the second studio album by English new wave band the Fixx, released on 13 May 1983 by MCA Records. It was the group's most successful studio album, reaching No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' albums chart and eventually selling ...
'' (1983)
* ''
Phantoms'' (1984)
* ''
Walkabout
Walkabout is a rite of passage in Australian Aboriginal society, during which males undergo a journey during adolescence, typically ages 10 to 16, and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months to make the spiritual and traditiona ...
'' (1986)
* ''
Calm Animals
''Calm Animals'' is the fifth studio album by British new wave band the Fixx, released on February 7, 1989. The single "Driven Out" gave them a #1 song on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in early 1989, and reached #55 on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...
'' (1989)
* ''
Ink
Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicker ...
'' (1991)
* ''
Happy Landings & Lost Tracks'' (1996)
* ''
Elemental
An elemental is a mythic being that is described in occult and alchemical works from around the time of the European Renaissance, and particularly elaborated in the 16th century works of Paracelsus. According to Paracelsus and his subsequent fo ...
'' (1998)
* ''
1011 Woodland'' (1999)
* ''
Want That Life'' (2003)
* ''
Beautiful Friction'' (2012)
* ''
Every Five Seconds'' (2022)
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fixx, The
English new wave musical groups
English rock music groups
Musical groups from London
Musical groups established in 1979
Second British Invasion artists
CMC International artists
Kirtland Records artists
MCA Records artists